If you don't like the taste of existing toothpaste, or if you are simply looking for a way to cut down on your household expenses, you may want to start making your own toothpaste. Not only will you be able to save some money, you can also flavor it with the flavor of your choice. You can also choose not to use the many harmful ingredients found in commercial toothpastes, such as chemical sweeteners, emulsifiers and preservatives.
Ingrediants
- 110 g of sodium bicarbonate
- 55 g of hydrogen peroxide
- 55 g of hot water
Optional:
- 3 Teaspoons of glycerin
- 3 Teaspoons of xylitol
- 55 g of water
Steps
Step 1. Pour the baking soda into a bowl
Bicarbonate has always been used in the kitchen, and has a very high cleaning capacity. It is an ingredient found in many commercial toothpastes, it is non-toxic and helps to clean the teeth thoroughly. In some recipes you can find it combined with salt, in this case mix 3 parts of baking soda with 1 part of table salt.
Step 2. Add glycerin to the extent of 15 grams per 55 grams of dry ingredients
This step is optional, the action of glycerin is only to make your toothpaste sweeter. Alternatively, you can use xylitol, which is a natural sweetener and is usually added to toothpaste and chewing gum as well. Note: The glycerin will coat your teeth with a thin layer that won't be easy to remove. This residue prevents enamel growth and remineralization of your teeth, compromising their overall health.
Step 3. Add 60 grams of hydrogen peroxide (hydrogen peroxide) and a drop of peppermint essence, or another extract of your taste
Hydrogen peroxide is a great disinfectant and will keep your mouth sanitized as well as helping your teeth stay white. If you don't have hydrogen peroxide at home, you can use normal water. Peppermint will keep your mouth fresh for a long time. Remember that hydrogen peroxide degrades quickly if left exposed to sunlight, so you will need to store your toothpaste in a dark place. If you don't have peppermint, you can flavor your toothpaste using other flavors, such as cinnamon, vanilla, wild fennel, ginger and almond. Whatever aroma you want to use, make sure it does not contain sugars and that it is not acidic, because in contact with the baking soda it would create an effervescent chemical reaction.
Step 4. Gently mix the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide until they become a paste
To get the right consistency it may be necessary to add more hydrogen peroxide. In any case, read the warnings section carefully.
Step 5. Store your toothpaste in a small plastic container to prevent it from hardening
Alternatively, you can buy empty lotions bottles, so you can quickly and simply dose the right amount of toothpaste you need.
Advice
- If the baking soda is too abrasive for your teeth and gums, you can choose to brush your teeth using just the toothbrush, then rinse your mouth with a mild solution of water and baking soda. Alternatively, use salt, which is less abrasive than baking soda.
- Kids love to add food coloring to their toothpaste to personalize it and this could be a great time to explain how primary colors mix to make secondary. Use only natural dyes, avoiding chemical ones that are harmful to health.
- Choose a non-transparent container, remember that hydrogen peroxide degrades when exposed to light.
Warnings
- A fluoride-free toothpaste does not protect tooth enamel as much as a toothpaste that contains it and does not remineralize decayed teeth sufficiently. Ask your dentist for professional advice before changing your toothpaste and that of your children. (Note: the most important thing to do is to inform yourself, it is now known and recognized by many scientists, chemists and dentists that fluoride is a poison with harmful effects on human health. Always be thoroughly informed about everything you ingest and don't blindly believe everything you are told, especially if it is television)
- Adding any acid component, such as lemon juice, causes an effervescent reaction in contact with the baking soda.
- Don't eat toothpaste for any reason. While brushing your teeth, try not to swallow. The small amount of baking soda you use to brush your teeth is not harmful, unless you are particularly sensitive to baking soda.
- While many believe baking soda is too harsh for their teeth, many commercial toothpastes list it as an ingredient. The bicarbonate, in contact with water or saliva, dissolves instantly, becoming no more abrasive than a normal solution of water and salt. Your own toothbrush is much more abrasive than the baking soda solution. Baking soda is much less abrasive than many commercial toothpastes that contain silica in their ingredients.
- Use hydrogen peroxide for domestic use, the one you use as an alternative to alcohol as a disinfectant. You can easily find it in pharmacies or supermarkets. It is usually a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, which is much more diluted than the solutions used to lighten hair or for industrial use. A higher consumption of hydrogen peroxide could be harmful, but many institutions assure that hydrogen peroxide on the market is relatively harmless. If you are sure you are using the right amounts of hydrogen peroxide and water in your toothpaste, it will be safer than using hydrogen peroxide. In any case, be aware that hydrogen peroxide dissolves on contact with water, releasing oxygen and it does so much faster in alkaline solutions, like this toothpaste. Unless you make toothpaste every time you need to use it, it's very likely that the hydrogen peroxide has already completely vanished. If you want to use hydrogen peroxide for its whitening effects, use toothpaste immediately after making it.
- The risk for children who use and ingest fluoride toothpastes is to develop fluorosis. In using this toothpaste, however, the risk is given by the sodium bicarbonate which, if you do not expect it to be completely dissolved by the water, could be too abrasive and by the hydrogen peroxide which, if ingested, can be irritating.
